Today we will discuss the Mughals and the introduction of Islam on the Indian Subcontinent.
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Watch Episode 5 of The Story of India ("The Meeting of Two Oceans"): Use the video to develop a question that you would like to answer in a written essay at the end of this unit. Use the questions below as a guide to the video.
1. Mahmud of Ghazni did not want to say his purpose for raiding India was to “loot”. It sounded too bad. So what reason did he give ?
2. Why did Mahmud of Ghazni target Somnath ?
3. What desert did Mahmud cross to reach Somnath ?
4. What year/decade are we talking about ?
5. Mahmud created a very negative image of Islam. Which other group of Muslims (at the same time) were creating a positive image of Islam ?
6. Give me a year for the conquest of Delhi by the “Sultans” ?
7. What is the Qutab Minar ?
8. Where did the Sufis come from who then settled in north India ?
9. Why are Sufis “disapproved of” by conservative Muslims ?
10. In 1525, which new group of Muslim invaders reached India ? Via what invasion route ?
11. Where did these new invaders originate ?
12. Why is Babur, the Moghul Emperor, associated w/ the town of Ayodhya ?
13. In the Battle of Panipat, 1525, which 2 religious groups are fighting ?
14. Babur was outnumbered 5 to 1 at the Battle of Panipat. What tactic does he use to overcome this disadvantage ?
15. Provide 5 characteristics of Akbar’s personality.
16. When the victorious Babur entered Delhi, what did he do to make Hindus feel positive towards him ?
17. What was the attitude of Babur towards Sufis ?
18. What relation was Babur to the later emperor, Akbar ?
19. Akbar was born in India. What impact did this have on his attitude ?
20. How did Akbar’s dad die ? How old was Akbar when he became Moghul emperor ?
21. Why is Akbar considered to be “great” ?
22. What occurs at the junction of the Ganges & Jumna rivers ?
23. What was Akbar’s policy regarding the JIZYA tax ?
24. What radicalized the Sikhs ?
25. What is the holiest site for Sikhs ?
26. All traditional Sikh men carry on them the “5Ks”. What are these ?
27. What was Akbar’s attitude towards other faiths ?
28. What is Fatehpur Sikri ?
29. What was the subject of Akbar’s weekly seminars at Fatehpur Sikri ?
30. What was English Queen Elizabeth I’s attitude towards Akbar ?
31. When Akbar died in 1605, what reason was there to say that India was the most powerful country in the world ?
32. What was the religious perspective of Emperor Aurangzeb ?
33. Woodsy says that the Mughal Empire “lost its way after Akbar’s death”. This is a BIG PICTURE question. By the time Woodsy is finished, I want you to be able to write a couple of detailed paragraphs explaining why.
34. Almost immediately, Woodsy gives 3 reasons why things start falling apart. What are they ?
35. The Taj Mahal : who built it, for whom, when ? Is it a mosque, or a mausoleum ?
36. What connection does the Taj Mahal have with Sufi philosophy ?
37. Alcohol is HARAM (taboo, banned) by strict Muslims. Opium ?
38. Woodsy talks of the Mughals creating a fusion (syncretism) of Muslim & Hindu culture. Provide one example.
39. What caused frequent civil wars within the Mughal Empire ?
40. Aurangzeb’s older brother was called Dara Shikoh. What do we know about Dara Shikoh’s religious belief ? Why did that get up Aurangzeb’s nose, & how did Aurangzeb finally deal with Dara Shikoh ?
41. Dara Shikoh was buried in Humayun’s tomb in Delhi. This tomb is one of the masterpieces of Mughal architecture. Who was Humayun ?
42. Did the Mughals succeed in creating a syncretic culture in India, an Indo-Islamic synthesis?
Start reading Wolpert
"Islamic Conquests" (pp. 38-43)
"Islam in India" (pp. 93-100)
Read this article by Peter Stearns: The Gunpowder Empires and the Shifting Balance of Global Power
Listen to this podcast (Minature of a Mughal Prince)